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Opinion: Companies oversell the self-driving capabilities of their cars, with horrific outcomes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

By: Francesco Biondi, University of Windsor In mid-February, Tesla announced the recall of over 350,000 vehicles — more than 20,000 in Canada — due to a problem with its “Full Self-Driving Capability” system. This self-driving feature was found to possibly cause vehicles to misbehave when entering intersections or exceed the speed limits, posing a risk for safety.This is just another instance of vehicles equipped with automated driving technology falling short of their safety expectations. In September 2022, a driver on the Queen Elizabeth Way near St. Catharines, Ont., was caught asleep at the wheel of a Tesla. The vehicle appeared to be operated by a semi-automated system with no monitoring from the driver, which is in direct violation of the requirements for these systems. https://www.youtube.com/embed/WRmGa6A25Lg?wmode=transparent&start=0 Inside Edition reports on two recent deadly crashes involving Teslas.Numerous incidents involving Teslas have been reported recently. Thes...

President of the European Commission to visit Kingston next week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

The President of the European Commission has announced a transatlantic trip to Canada and the US next week where she will be making several stops to discuss transatlantic relations, trade, strategic sectoral partnerships and cooperation in support of Ukraine. Just two of these stops will be in Canada, with one taking place in Kingston and the other taking place in Ottawa, Ontario. The upcoming visit was discussed in detail in an itinerary posted on the Prime Ministers Official website on Thursday. During the visit, Prime Minister Trudeau and President von der Leyen will build on “close, enduring transatlantic relations between Canada and the European Union (EU)” and will drive progress on shared priorities, including continuing to work together on advancing clean energy and clean technologies, creating good middle-class jobs, and driving economic growth, most notably through the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) and the Canada-EU Strategic Partn...

Kingston Transit will begin offering it’s reduced rate Affordable Bus Pass in April

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

The City of Kingston has announced that beginning in April, community members who are supported by the City of Kingston’s Municipal Fee Assistance Program (MFAP), will pay 50 per cent less when purchasing their Kingston Transit Affordable monthly transit passes. “High inflation and the rising cost of living have made it harder for households to make ends meet,” says Mayor Bryan Paterson. “Reducing the cost of public transit is one way the City is directly supporting those who need help the most.”  The April 2023 monthly passes will see adults pay $20 per month and youth/seniors will pay $14.88 per month. The 50 per cent reduction to the affordable transit pass program will also apply to registered clients of Kingston Access Bus (KAB). The announcement comes following a Kingston City Council decision to reduce fees for the program by as low as 50%. While there were options presented to council to lower the regular bus fare, city staff determined that this would co...

Queen’s University set to open satellite campus in northern Ontario

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

Last Updated on March 6, 2023 by YGK News StaffThe Weeneebayko Area Health Authority (WAHA), Queen’s University, and the Mastercard Foundation have formed a partnership that they say aims to transform healthcare in Northeastern Ontario.The Queen’s Weeneebayko Health Education Program was officially announced on Tuesday, offering healthcare training to communities on the western shore of James Bay, with a specific focus on providing opportunities for Indigenous youth and promoting culturally-safe healthcare. The vision of this partnership is to establish a training site in Moosonee that will serve coastal community sites like Moose Factory and Attawapiskat. Moosonee is a community only accessible by plane or winter ice road, it has the smallest population of the five western shoreline communities and is over 300 kilometres north of Timmins, Ontario. While WAHA is currently based in Moose Factory, a new hospital will be built in Moosonee which will effectively make that the Health Aut...

Analysis: Why universities need to look beyond grades when admitting international students

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

Last Updated on March 3, 2023 by YGK News StaffBy: David Baidoo-Anu, Queen’s University, Ontario; Christopher DeLuca, Queen’s University, Ontario, and Liying Cheng, Queen’s University, Ontario International students play an instrumental role in the development of Canada’s current and future economy.One recent indication of the importance of international students for Canada’s labour force and knowledge economy was an announcement by Sean Fraser, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Fraser announced lifting the cap on off-campus work hours for international students due to labour shortages.Despite the significant contributions made by international students, the total number of international students enrolled in Canada’s post-secondary education institutions only represents less than about one-fifth of total post-secondary student enrolment. This situation was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.But inequitable admission processes for international st...

Kingston music community hopeful but skeptical as music strategy process begins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

The City of Kingston hosted an open house for the music industry on February 16, providing an opportunity for musicians and other members of the Kingston music scene to learn about the city’s music strategy which is currently taking shape, and to voice their opinion on the needs of Kingston as a music city. While the city taking a step to support growth in the industry is warmly welcomed by those within it, some question whether the one being taken -spending $83,400 on a consulting fee to help come up with an overarching music strategy- is the correct place to start.Jonas Anthony, a longtime member of Kingston’s music scene as the lead singer of The Wilderness among other roles in the industry, said he’s happy to see the city stepping up to support an industry in dire need, but he’s skeptical about paying for outside ideas as essentially a first step. “When informing and writing the policy that will eventually effect and impact musicians in Kingsto...

The Eisenhower Tunnel turns 50 years old Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

CLEAR CREEK COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — The iconic Eisenhower Tunnel that connects the eastern side of the Rocky Mountains to the Western Slope turned 50 years old on Wednesday. On March 8, 1973, the Eisenhower Tunnel became the highest vehicular tunnel in the world sitting at an elevation of 11,112 feet. And while higher tunnels have been built since then, the Colorado Department of Transportation is celebrating 50 years of connecting Colorado. Winter I-70 traffic on the rebound To celebrate the big 5-0, here are five facts to tell your passengers the next time you travel through the tunnel:The tunnel was originally called the Straight Creek Tunnel before later being officially named the Eisenhower Memorial Bore. Straight Creek Tunnel was derived from the valley where the west portal is located. Imagine saying you're headed through the Straight Creek!The construction took five years to complete when work began on March 15, 1968, and was completed on March 8, 1973. At the height of the...

Driver killed in crash involving Aurora officer identified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) -- The driver killed in a crash involving an Aurora Police officer Saturday night has been identified.Elias Hans Anderson, 44, of Aurora, died after the Toyota Corolla he was driving collided with a marked Aurora Police vehicle driven by an officer on his way to a nonemergency call, according to the Colorado State Patrol. CSP: Driver in deadly crash involving Aurora officer did not yield to oncoming traffic "All other tests for cause and manner of death are pending at this time," a spokesperson from the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office told FOX31's Vicente Arenas.Anderson's speed at the time of the crash as well as whether or not alcohol or drugs were factors are being investigated by the CSP.Aurora officer's patrol vehicle rolls in crashThe crash happened around 8:20 p.m. Saturday at the intersection of E. Bates Avenue and S. Chambers Road.CSP's preliminary investigation found that Anderson did not yield to oncoming traffic when the Aurora officer hit th...

Disney World board picked by DeSantis hints future actions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — The first meeting of the new board of Walt Disney World’s government — overhauled by sweeping legislation signed by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis as punishment for Disney publicly challenging Florida’s so-called “Don’t Say Gay” bill — dealt with the rote affairs any other municipal government would handle: calls for better firefighter equipment, lessons on public records requests and bond ratings.But the five board members appointed by DeSantis hinted Wednesday at future controversial actions they may take, including prohibiting COVID-19 restrictions at Disney World and eliminating two cities that were created when the Florida Legislature in 1967 approved the theme park resort’s self-governance.The board also approved hiring the same law firm that advised the governor’s office in making changes to the governing district to help interpret the new legislation.For the most part, the new board members listened in a hotel ballroom outside Di...

EU tells UK its asylum plan ‘violating international law’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:49 GMT

BRUSSELS — The European Union warned Britain its crackdown on Channel migrant crossings violates international law — as the U.K. urged it to read the details.In an interview with POLITICO in Brussels, European Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson said she had spoken to U.K. Home Secretary Suella Braverman on Tuesday.“I spoke to the British minister yesterday on this and I told her that I think that this is violating international law,” Johansson said. Johansson’s comments are the latest international backlash against the British government’s Illegal Migration Bill, which was unveiled this week in a bid to stop small boats arriving on the country’s shores.Responding to Johansson‘s comments, a U.K. Home Office official confirmed the call had taken place but said Braverman “spoke to the commissioner before her Commons statement, and the publication of the bill.”They added: “She disagreed with the commissioner and asked her to read the detail of the bill once it was publ...